SALISBURY, N.C., Jan. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Food Lion Feeds is donating the equivalent of more than 805,000 meals* to campus food pantries and local Feeding America partner food banks through its annual Sack to Give Back program. This surpasses the previous season’s total of 793,000 meals, strengthening access to nutritious and reliable food for college students. Food Lion Feeds is Food Lion’s hunger-relief platform, founded in 2014 to help address food insecurity across the omnichannel retailer’s 10-state footprint.
During the 2025 collegiate football season, Food Lion Feeds provided the equivalent of 1,000 meals for every quarterback sack recorded by the 34 participating teams, up to 30,000 meals per school. The donations nourish campus food pantries or, where on-campus pantries are not available, nearby Feeding America partner food banks serving college communities.
“At Food Lion, we know hunger doesn’t follow a schedule,” said Kevin Durkee, Manager, Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion. “As students return to campus for a new semester, we want them to be able to focus on their education instead of where their next meal will come from. We are grateful our Sack to Give Back program strengthens campus food pantries and helps students thrive.”
Since launching in 2019, the Sack to Give Back program has helped provide the equivalent of more than 4.6 million meals to students and families in need. Food Lion Feeds also partners with universities through its Score to Give More campaign, which provides the equivalent of 100 meals for every free throw made, up to 30,000 meals per participating team at each school.
The Sack to Give Back participating schools and season totals include:
| School | School Location | Food Bank/Pantry | Football Sacks/Meals Donated |
| Appalachian State University | Boone, N.C. | Mountaineer Food Hub | 28 sacks/28,000 meals provided |
| Bluefield State University | Bluefield, W.Va. | SGA Food Pantry | 10 sacks/10,000 meals provided |
| Bowie State University | Bowie, Md. | Nutrition Lounge | 17 sacks/17,000 meals provided |
| Catawba College | Salisbury, N.C. | Laura’s Place Food Pantry | 19 sacks/19,000 meals |
| East Carolina University | Greenville, N.C. | ECU Williams-Ross Purple Pantry | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Elizabeth City State University | Elizabeth City, N.C. | Vikings Care School Pantry | 17 sacks/17,000 meals provided |
| Elon University | Elon, N.C. | Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Fayetteville State University | Fayetteville, N.C. | FSU Food Resource Pantry | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Gardner-Webb University | Boiling Springs, N.C. | Second Harvest of Metrolina | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Georgia Southern University | Statesboro, Ga. | America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia | 12 sacks/12,000 meals provided |
| Hampton University | Hampton, Va. | Hampton U Pirate Pantry | 18 sacks/18,000 meals provided |
| James Madison University | Harrisonburg, Va. | Blue Ridge Area Food Bank | 28 sacks/28,000 meals provided |
| Johnson C Smith University | Charlotte, N.C. | Golden Bulls General Market | 29 sacks/29,000 meals provided |
| Liberty University | Lynchburg, Va. | Blue Ridge Area Food Bank | 16 sacks/16,000 meals provided |
| Lincoln University | Lincoln University, Pa. | Lion Pantry | 15 sacks/15,000 meals provided |
| Livingstone College | Salisbury, N.C. | Blue Bear Food Pantry | 30 sacks/30.000 meals provided |
| North Carolina A&T University | Greensboro, N.C. | Aggie Source Food Pantry | 22 sacks/22,000 meals provided |
| North Carolina State University | Raleigh, N.C. | NCSU “Feed the Pack” Pantry | 18 sacks/18,000 meals provided |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk, Va. | SEVA | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Shaw University | Raleigh, N.C. | The BEAR Essentials Pantry | 12 sacks/12,000 meals provided |
| South Carolina State University | Orangeburg, S.C. | Bulldog Express Pantry | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Tennessee Tech University | Cookeville, Tenn. | Tennessee Tech Food Pantry | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Towson University | Towson, Md. | Maryland Food Bank | 20 sacks/20,000 meals provided |
| University of Maryland | College Park, Md. | Capital Area Food Bank | 27 sacks/27,000 meals provided |
| University of Delaware | Newark, Del. | Food Bank of Delaware | 24 sacks/24,000 meals provided |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, N.C. | UNC Carolina Cupboard Pantry | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| University of North Carolina at Pembroke | Pembroke, N.C. | The CARE Resource Center | 19 sacks/19,000 meals provided |
| University of Virginia | Charlottesville, Va. | Blue Ridge Area Food Bank | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided + 2,000 additional meals** |
| Virginia State University | Petersburg, Va. | Troy Store Food Pantry | 16 sacks/16 meals provided |
| Virginia Tech University | Blacksburg, Va. | Feeding Southwest Virginia | 19 sacks/19,000 meals provided |
| Virginia Union University | Richmond, Va. | FeedMore | 30 sacks/30,000 meals provided |
| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Second Harvest Food Bank of NWNC | 25 sacks/25,000 meals provided |
| William & Mary College | Williamsburg, Va. | Virginia Peninsula | 22 sacks/22,000 meals provided |
| Winston-Salem State University | Winston-Salem, N.C. | Rams Helping Hands Food Pantry | 20 sacks/20,000 meals provided |
Through Food Lion Feeds, Food Lion has helped provide more than 1.5 billion meals to individuals and families and has committed to donating 3 billion meals*** by 2032. For more information on Food Lion Feeds’ commitment to ending hunger, visit foodlion.com/feeds.
*$1 helps provide the equivalent of 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local partner food banks.
**Food Lion Feeds provides up to 2,000 meals for every quarterback sack made in participating championship games.
***Food Lion Feeds helps address food insecurity by providing product, financial and equipment donations; disaster relief and recovery efforts; investing in capital campaign support for feeding agencies; and volunteer hours by associates. These investments are converted to a meal equivalent based on various meal equivalent formulas.
About Food Lion
Food Lion is an omnichannel grocery retailer committed to nourishing its neighbors. More than 82,000 associates across 1,100+ stores deliver an easy, fresh and affordable shopping experience throughout 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. With a focus on hunger relief, Food Lion is a pioneer in food rescue. Since 2014, the company’s hunger relief platform Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 1.5 billion meals to those who are food insecure. The retailer has committed to donate 3 billion meals by 2032. Founded and based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, Food Lion is a company of Ahold Delhaize USA, the U.S. division of Zaandam-based Ahold Delhaize. For more information, visit foodlion.com.
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